The Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie is seeking legal advice over the government’s implementation of the Government Employees’ Medical Scheme (Gems).
The union said the government’s implementation of Gems was undermining the economic rights of its members.
The union’s Chris Klopper said teachers who are not members of Gems are discriminated against because they receive a smaller contribution from the state towards their medical aid.
New employees are compelled to join Gems, but public servants who belonged to other medical aids when Gems was implemented about a year ago had the choice of switching to the new scheme or staying with their existing ones.
Klopper said public servants who did not switch to Gems received a monthly government contribution of R1 014 towards their medical aid, whereas members of Gems received R2 020.
‘We are just waiting for a final legal opinion before we decide whether to go to court or not,” said Klopper.
Teachers with questions about Gems can SMS ‘teacher” and the comment or question to 32510 (SMS costs R1)